Always Read the Label
Early last week I saw a casting call for a documentary film in NYC, that was supposed to be based on the novel "Freakonomics" or something like that.
As a side note, I've been expanding my searches to as far as NYC because I figure it's only a five-hour drive and if the pay is right it will cover gas expenses. I'm not running off to New York to audition for every non-paying student film that I see posted, but I am occasionally submitting for roles if it is union or it pays enough.
Anyway, this particular non-union job would pay a small amount, but enough to cover gas easily enough. So, I look over the roles that are broken down and submit for one, a mechanic, that fits my age/race/etc. I don't look into any more details than that, it's just fire-and-forget at this point.
On Monday or Tuesday, I get a call from the casting company about above referenced film, and she said that they really liked my look, and did I have any other pictures, and could I give them my sizes (pants, shirt, etc.). Usually they don't bother to ask you that last one unless they are at least moderately interested in you. Then she called back to say that they would like to shoot on Friday, but would like to meet with me on Wednesday ("meet with" was definitely more promising than "audition").
Now I was in a quandary. Since it is about a tank of gas there and back, going twice would cut my profit down to nearly nothing. So I told her that I was definitely interested in shooting on Friday, but couldn't make a meeting on Wednesday. She said she'd call me back. So either she would, or I just lost the job.
Well, she did call back, and said they wanted to book me for Friday, and she would call back with the time on Thursday. About noon on Thursday she tells me the shoot is at 6AM Friday at a gas station in New Jersey outside of NYC, and the shoot should take about two and a half hours. She also said that wardrobe was providing my coveralls, but they may call to see if I had anything they needed. (Wardrobe never called, so I took some shirts and shoes and so forth just in case.)
Well, it being in NJ was a blessing, since that made the drive a little over 4 hours instead of 5. So I only had to get on the road by 1:30, and I was all set. Holy crap, what had I done? So, I went to bed at about 7PM, got up at 1AM, and off I went. I arrived 20 minutes of 6, but sat in the car and the next thing I knew it was quarter after. Shit! I pile out of the car, and walk toward some vans across the lot. There was one guy standing there, and he kinda just looked at me until I explained who I was. He said, "Oh, you're our mechanic today. I'm Morgan, I'm the director." He stuck out his hand, and as I was shaking it, that's when I realized who he was.
Morgan Spurlock. As in "Super Size Me" Morgan Spurlock. As in award-winning, Oscar-nominated documentary king Morgan Spurlock. I felt kind of like an idiot for not knowing this ahead of time.
Anyway, the Production Assistant (who was the only PA there, so he was doing everything, including wardrobe), started laying out my outfit. That was when I had noticed they had spent more on my clothes than for me, but mostly because there were two of everything in case Morgan didn't like the first choice. So I wore Dickie's pants and work shirt, boots, and even socks (the camera would never, ever see one thread of whatever socks I was wearing, but they bought them, so I wore them).
Then I did my bit. There was no script - I just had to come out of the garage and jack up a car with one of those professional jacks with the four tiny wheels and the big long handle. I must have jacked that car up and let it down a couple dozen times, as they were getting all sorts of angles with their HD camera, and Morgan had me do different things - "Okay, when the camera gets here, stop pumping and wipe your forehead with your arm." "Which one?" "Hmm. Okay, we'll do one of each."
But sure enough, we were done in a little over two hours, and I changed and went home. Then the remainder of the weekend was like a weird Twilight Zone where I didn't readily know what day it was, because my sleep cycle was off. But it was definitely worth it, because now I get to put Morgan Spurlock's name on my resume. He is definitely the most famous person I have worked with directly (Russell Crowe doesn't really count, since I wasn't working with him, just possibly in the same frame as him.).
When I got home, I looked up the post again, and sure enough, his name is listed as the director there. So now I look at the names on all of the posts.
As a side note, I've been expanding my searches to as far as NYC because I figure it's only a five-hour drive and if the pay is right it will cover gas expenses. I'm not running off to New York to audition for every non-paying student film that I see posted, but I am occasionally submitting for roles if it is union or it pays enough.
Anyway, this particular non-union job would pay a small amount, but enough to cover gas easily enough. So, I look over the roles that are broken down and submit for one, a mechanic, that fits my age/race/etc. I don't look into any more details than that, it's just fire-and-forget at this point.
On Monday or Tuesday, I get a call from the casting company about above referenced film, and she said that they really liked my look, and did I have any other pictures, and could I give them my sizes (pants, shirt, etc.). Usually they don't bother to ask you that last one unless they are at least moderately interested in you. Then she called back to say that they would like to shoot on Friday, but would like to meet with me on Wednesday ("meet with" was definitely more promising than "audition").
Now I was in a quandary. Since it is about a tank of gas there and back, going twice would cut my profit down to nearly nothing. So I told her that I was definitely interested in shooting on Friday, but couldn't make a meeting on Wednesday. She said she'd call me back. So either she would, or I just lost the job.
Well, she did call back, and said they wanted to book me for Friday, and she would call back with the time on Thursday. About noon on Thursday she tells me the shoot is at 6AM Friday at a gas station in New Jersey outside of NYC, and the shoot should take about two and a half hours. She also said that wardrobe was providing my coveralls, but they may call to see if I had anything they needed. (Wardrobe never called, so I took some shirts and shoes and so forth just in case.)
Well, it being in NJ was a blessing, since that made the drive a little over 4 hours instead of 5. So I only had to get on the road by 1:30, and I was all set. Holy crap, what had I done? So, I went to bed at about 7PM, got up at 1AM, and off I went. I arrived 20 minutes of 6, but sat in the car and the next thing I knew it was quarter after. Shit! I pile out of the car, and walk toward some vans across the lot. There was one guy standing there, and he kinda just looked at me until I explained who I was. He said, "Oh, you're our mechanic today. I'm Morgan, I'm the director." He stuck out his hand, and as I was shaking it, that's when I realized who he was.
Morgan Spurlock. As in "Super Size Me" Morgan Spurlock. As in award-winning, Oscar-nominated documentary king Morgan Spurlock. I felt kind of like an idiot for not knowing this ahead of time.
Anyway, the Production Assistant (who was the only PA there, so he was doing everything, including wardrobe), started laying out my outfit. That was when I had noticed they had spent more on my clothes than for me, but mostly because there were two of everything in case Morgan didn't like the first choice. So I wore Dickie's pants and work shirt, boots, and even socks (the camera would never, ever see one thread of whatever socks I was wearing, but they bought them, so I wore them).
Then I did my bit. There was no script - I just had to come out of the garage and jack up a car with one of those professional jacks with the four tiny wheels and the big long handle. I must have jacked that car up and let it down a couple dozen times, as they were getting all sorts of angles with their HD camera, and Morgan had me do different things - "Okay, when the camera gets here, stop pumping and wipe your forehead with your arm." "Which one?" "Hmm. Okay, we'll do one of each."
But sure enough, we were done in a little over two hours, and I changed and went home. Then the remainder of the weekend was like a weird Twilight Zone where I didn't readily know what day it was, because my sleep cycle was off. But it was definitely worth it, because now I get to put Morgan Spurlock's name on my resume. He is definitely the most famous person I have worked with directly (Russell Crowe doesn't really count, since I wasn't working with him, just possibly in the same frame as him.).
When I got home, I looked up the post again, and sure enough, his name is listed as the director there. So now I look at the names on all of the posts.